


Because Adulthood

by silver_shot



Category: Naruto
Genre: Comedy, F/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:08:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24304180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_shot/pseuds/silver_shot
Summary: “Sakura, stop trying to convince me”.Her shoulders remain rigid, but she pouts nonetheless, “but you didn't even hear my pitch”.“Sakura...”“Okay, fine,” she places her elbow on the table, leans in, and rests her chin upon her open palm, “so, Sasuke-kun...how was your day?”Sasuke looks about ready to stand up, and leave, “this is, pathetic”.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 11
Kudos: 109





	Because Adulthood

**Author's Note:**

> reuploaded from my old blog

“He misses you,” she says, “that's the honest truth”.

His look of scepticism does not sway her from her stance; Sakura folds her arms across her chest.

Sasuke replies to her, “he is the Hokage now”.

“That he is”.

“So that means that there is some sort of political motivation behind him wanting me to come back to the village”.

“Sasuke-kun,” says Sakura; holding back her grin, she needs to at least convey some form of professionalism, “you know Naruto, you know that his primary motivation is always just to have you by his side – _as a friend_ ”.

Sasuke stops sharpening his katana, and puts down his blade, “then why now?”

“He's always wanted you back, did you forget? Since he was twelve-”

“This isn't like that, Sakura,” says Sasuke, his expression still neutral, “this isn't the same. He isn't chasing me to save me, its different, he has a goal”.

“He misses you,” repeats Sakura.

He nods, “and, what else?”

Sakura sighs; its best to accept when one is cornered, “a village is only as strong as the clans that reside under its banner”.

A ghost of a smirk passes through Sasuke's expression, “see, was that so hard?”

“But really, he mainly wants you back, Sasuke-kun”.

“Good for him”.

“Sasuke-kun, please”.

Her chance to sway the man before her goes begging; Sasuke continues to smirk, and turns back to sharpening his blade.

_Another day, perhaps_ – Sakura muses bitterly.

.

.

There is no beach in Konoha, so whenever the chance presents itself to visit one, Sakura will take the opportunity to wade through the ocean; she rolls up her pants to do so. She will also trek the sands to feel that soft comfort beneath her feet, and breath in the air that is clear, and pure. It allows her to forget for a minute the mission she is on.

When five o'clock strikes, her prior engagement comes back into mind.

The village has rebuild the structure of their medical clinics, but not its operations and staff – Sakura overseas both tasks.

This is her mission for now – but tomorrow she will, once again, pursue the personal favour of the Hokage by approaching Uchiha Sasuke.

.

.

“Sakura, stop trying to convince me”.

Her shoulders remain rigid, but she pouts nonetheless, “but you didn't even hear my pitch”.

“Sakura...”

“Okay, fine,” she places her elbow on the table, leans in, and rests her chin upon her open palm, “so, Sasuke-kun...how was your day?”

Sasuke looks about ready to stand up, and leave, “this is, pathetic”.

“...thanks”.

He frowns, then chuckles, “is this the kind of mission Naruto has you assigned to nowadays”.

Sakura rolls her eyes, “no, this is just a personal favour”.

“Right”.

“One I'm apparently royally screwing up”.

She does not catch the brief flash of sympathy in his gaze, “I don't intend to go back, Sakura”.

“I know,” she sighs.

He tries not to smirk, “if you know, why do you still persist with this?”

“Because I promised Naruto–”

“Tell him that it couldn't be done”.

Looking up to meet his gaze, Sakura can pinpoint that sentiment from just his expression alone. His tenacity will outlast her desire to fulfil Naruto's goal. She can see now that it cannot be done. This is not some exam to ace, or some battle to win – this is Sasuke;  _just Sasuke_ .

“I'm sorry for bothering you about this, Sasuke-kun”.

He is genuine with his reply of, “you weren't bothering me, Sakura”. His tone is soft, and her demeanour softens in response.

She smiles to him, weakly. “For what its worth, I get why you wouldn't want to come back to Konoha”.

.

.

Today she doesn't wade through the shallow tides of the ocean, today Sakura spends her time at the beach sitting upon the sand, mulling over her thoughts. Her legs are warmed by the sun of the afternoon. She grins periodically at those that pass by; two dogs chasing each other, a child stumbling their way at walking whilst their father helps them, the laughter of a group of kids who play together in the ocean.

When the sun begins to set, Sakura gets up from her spot, and heads back into town to get some dinner.

.

.

Within a week, Sakura is able to organise the placements for the workers who will continue on in the town's clinic after she is gone. It is a small clinic, so the headache is not as large as it could have been with say – Konoha. Regardless, the matter coming to a close relieves her of a burden.

On the Friday of that said week, Sakura begins to plan out the schedule that will be implemented to train up some of the younger medics. During lunch, she heads down to the cafeteria. Sakura orders a small bento and a drink. She takes her meal and sits outside on the benches to have her lunch. Three minutes in, and she receives company in the form of the last living Uchiha.

“Hello stranger,” grins Sakura.

Sasuke picks a small half-cut tomato from her bento, “I didn't think you'd actually give up”.

Sakura shrugs, “I know when I'm defeated”.

“The idiot wouldn't think like that”.

“Well, I'm not Naruto, am I?”

Sasuke smirks, and picks out another tomato from her bento.

.

.

Today marks six weeks since Uchiha Sasuke had officially left the village – again. But for good this time (or so he says). In the grand scheme of things, this is not an overly long amount of time but for Naruto, it had only taken three weeks before he'd cracked and exclaimed that he was leaving to find his best friend.

Shikamaru had promptly knocked said Hokage out-cold and Sakura has volunteered to speak to Sasuke if she got the chance since, _“the town I'm going to be stationed at is the last spot Sasuke-kun had been spotted”._

“That isn't technically making a promise to Naruto,” Sasuke remarks, interrupting Sakura through her explanation.

The kunochi smirks, “why? Because Naruto was out-cold?”

Sasuke rolls his eyes.

Predicting that he'd perceive the situation in such a fashion, Sakura had chosen to be seated with Sasuke in her living quarters right beside the drawer where she'd shoved all of her correspondences with Naruto. Sakura opens said drawer, grabs a few letters, and hands them to Sasuke.

He raises an eyebrow but begins reading the first letter nonetheless.

Naruto's handwriting is akin to a child's scribbles, but somehow Sasuke is able to manage to piece together enough of the messages to come to the conclusion that Naruto is unbearably desperate.

“I think that's just called being a good friend,” Sakura replies.

“Or desperation”.

“He misses you, what's wrong with that?”

He chuckles, and knows that the kunochi beside him speaks a sentiment that not even she believes in. “We aren't so young any more, Sakura. You of all people should know that people grow, change, and drift apart. There is nothing wrong with that, that's just the way things go”.

Sakura purses her lips, but does not reply. He silence is enough to signal that her true nature resides with the same sentiment that Sasuke professes.

.

.

She doesn't visit the beach today, for Sakura gets caught up – or rather, she forgets. With her head buried in her text, the young kunochi pours over volumes of research without regard for the time that ticks by.

It is only when a nurse comes by her office warning her of the dangers of staying this late does she realise that it is already sundown. “Go out for dinner, take a walk on the streets, have fun with a few friends, do something, Haruno”.

Sakura looks up from her notes, “yea...alright”.

The nurse rolls her eyes.

.

.

“Was your only reason for me to come back to Konoha because Naruto missed me?”

Sakura exhales and throws a few more breadcrumbs into the lake before her. She mumbles out a yes and reaches into her packet for another slice of bread.

Sasuke chuckles, and remarks that such a tactic was bound to fail.

“How so?” counters Sakura.

“That's only one reason to go back”.

“Should I have listed off a few more?”

“This is your mission, shouldn't you have attempted to try and make Konoha more enticing for me?”

She tries not to smirk – _oh if only he knew_ , “Konoha can offer you a steady pay check should you go back now, and re-enlist as a shinobi of the leaf”.

Sasuke leans back on the bench, “that the best you got?”

“...um,” she pauses, “I heard from Ino that there is this new curry place that opened up near your old apartment. You like curry, right?”

“Sakura...”

“I can never handle the spice, but I heard–”

“Sakura”.

She turns to him, “what?”

He frowns, mulling over how best to express his next sentiment, “do you want me back?”

She'd not guess that he would be this forthright with the inevitable question of today. “Mmmh?”

“Sakura...”

“No,” she says, “I don't want you to go back”.

.

.

Despite her initial assumption, Sasuke does not entirely fit the description of a wander. Sure, he travels from place to place, doing what he can to help those in need but she'd never think he'd ever try and establish a place he could call home.

“Its only the foundations,” he remarks, standing before the open plot of land that will one day become his home, or so he says.

The most barest of construction has begun, all by him. “You're going to build this by yourself?” she asks, still clutching the blueprints of said home within her hand.

He nods, “I cannot be a vagrant forever”.

“You're not a vagrant, Sasuke-kun”.

He smirks, “of course you would say that”.

“Saskue-kun, I–”

“I'm showing you this for a reason, Sakura”.

And that reason, whatever it may be, escapes her. “Okay...”

“You don't know why, do you?”

“No I do not”.

Sasuke turns back to his land, and glances over what may be. He looks back to the kunochi, “you didn't try very hard to convince me to come back”.

“Oh, is that right?”

“I know you could have tried harder”

“And you know that I kinda don't want you to go back to Konoha”.

He scrutinises her expression, “you must know that hearing that from you is rather odd, from my point of view”.

“I bet it is”.

“And...?”

“And, you said it yourself before. People grow, change, and drift apart. Sometimes its inevitable,” she looks up to him, “you aren't in danger, you aren't doing anything that should worry us. We should support you, this is the life you've chosen but, that doesn't stop Naruto from missing you, and wanting you back”.

“You can stop talking about him,” says Sasuke, his demeanour losing an edge of warmth once there a moment ago.

Sakura turns back to the plot of land, “this is about him, isn't it?”

“No, it isn't. Why must you assume it always it?”

“Because, it _always_ is”.

“its not in this case”.

The corner of her lip twitches, “I'm here because of a mission he has assigned me. So yes, its about him”.

“No,” Sasuke takes a step, turning towards her, “you're here to establish the clinic, and by extension, the medical system of this village. Regardless of Naruto telling you to look for me or not, you'd still be here”.

She inhales, then exhales, and folds her arms over her chest, “nothing gets by you, does it?”

His countenance relaxes, “I left the village because of you”.

Her eyes widen; she frowns and looks back up to him, “what?”

“That came out wrong”.

“Wait, are you upset with me?”

“No, Sakura – I misspoke”.

“That sounded pretty convincing,” her lips thin, and she takes half a step back.

He pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration, “let me rephrase”.

“Rephrase away”.

He rolls his eyes, “you yourself spend very little time in Konoha, correct?”

Sakura mulls over his words, “that's different, I'm generally assigned to long-term missions”.

“That's not the point, you're away from the village, aren't you?”

“Yes,” she says.

“And your work helps people. It aids those in need–”

“Where is this going?” she asks, sceptically.

Sasuke closes the gap from the half-step created when Sakura had stepped back. “I'm saying,” he continues, “I wanted that as well. I didn't want to become some underling for Konoha, only pursuing missions to benefit the village rather than those in need”.

“I still am a shinobi of the leaf, Sasuke-kun”.

“But you've been intentionally choosing missions where you can stay away from Konoha on extended lengths of time. You have that luxury as a medical ninja to help instead of harm. I could not achieve that as a combat shinobi if I'd stayed in the village”.

“So you left?”

“Put simply”.

“And now you're _blaming_ me for it”.

He smirks, “put simply”.

.

.

She receives a letter from Naruto the next morning. The Hokage chooses not to mince words with his message of - ' _have you convinced Sasuke to come back yet?_ '

“You should tell him,” Sasuke remarks, picking out a small tomato from her bento.

Sakura puts down the letter, and picks up her chopsticks, “you tell him”.

“Its your job”.

“You're his friend”.

“So are you”.

She cannot refute him on that.

A few of the nurses walk by with questioning gazes towards the man she shares her bento with. Without realising what the circumstance must look like from a third-party perspective, Sakura had allowed Sasuke to pick away at her meal without much thought. The realisation of what the nurses must think eventually dawns on her as Sasuke reaches in for an egg roll.

She slaps away his hand, “no,” she half-gasps.

Sasuke frowns, “what?”

“This is indecent”.

“...what?”

.

.

The next day, Sakura finds Sasuke outside the town's borders practising his sword-work. He remarks without stopping that he finds it odd that Sakura has somehow stumbled upon to where he is today. Sakura replies that she'd only done so by asking around.

“Asking who?” asks Sasuke, stopping mid-step, and looking over his shoulder to receive her reply.

Sakura, in turn, merely shrugs and responds that it doesn't matter, and to not worry about it.

Without much change in expression, Sasuke continues with his sword work. Sakura finds a place to sit and wait for him to finish.

A brief glance over to the kunochi who has chosen to visit him shows that she preoccupies her time by reading over something that his not his form, so Sasuke lowers his sword, and approaches her. “I assume you have something to say or ask me?”

She looks up from her spot, “I do”.

“Which is?”

She smiles, and looks down to the text she'd been reading, “I don't want to bother you mid-practice. We can talk after”.

“We can talk now,” he retorts.

Sakura looks up once more, “I'm here to confront you,” she giggles.

Sasuke matches her grin; albeit less noticeably, and takes a seat beside her. “This is about the idiot again, isn't it?”

“Mmmh, yes. But its also about something you'd said”.

“Which was?”

“How people grow, and drift apart”.

“What of it?”

“I think you're doing it intentionally with Naruto”.

Sasuke smirks, and leans back on his palm, “I did leave the village”.

“Sasuke-kun...”

“Sakura...” he mimics, inhibiting a wider grin, “people do grow, and change, and drift apart”.

“But it can't happen with you and Na–”

“Why not?”

“After everything you've been through–”

“I'm not indebted to him”.

“I didn't say that”.

“Then this is merely another inevitable in life,” he pauses, “people do drift apart, Sakura”.

“Yes but you have left the village – again”.

“Sure, but my leaving doesn't tie to him, it ties to you”.

“Oh, we're back here again,” she rolls her eyes.

He nods, “yes we are”.

“I...I didn't intend this with–”

“Its not a negative, me leaving the village”.

“But you know, for Naruto it is”.

Sasuke shrugs, “a misalignment of values and goals. What can I do about that?”

Sakura opens her mouth to reply, but hesitates, and sighs, “nothing, I suppose”.

He'd won this round – and he would go on to win each subsequent round as Sakura herself understood Sasuke's viewpoint far better than the one she is ' _fighting'_ for. She considers, for a moment, that perhaps her own perception of the situation inhibited her to from seeing what was there before her far sooner. The dichotomy between Naruto and Sasuke never seemed to be an issue when younger – for they knew and understood each other more so than logic should dictate.

_Oh, what has adulthood done to them?_

“I have an idea,” Sasuke remarks offhandedly, snapping the kunochi beside him out of her thoughts.

Sakura hums with curiosity, turning to him.

Sasuke continues to look ahead to the grassy patch before him, “Naruto, he is still Hokage, there are still requirements he needs to fulfil”.

She frowns, “...okay”.

The corner of his lip twitches, “you said it yourself, Sakura. A village is only as strong as the clans that reside under its banner”.

“But that's not why Naruto wants you back,” counters Sakura.

Sasuke nods, “sure, but its one of the reasons. He is still Hokage after all, he still has a duty to fulfil”.

She pauses before continues, “okay...and...where is this going?”

He turns to her, “why don't you go back as the Uchiha representative. It'll appease the village, it'll meet my interests of not going back, and it'll–”

“I'm sorry, what did you say?”

She interjects mid-sentence, so Sasuke pauses, and regathers, “I want you to go back as the Uchiha representative”.

“I – am – not – an – Uchiha,” Sakura states, utterly baffled at how such a thought process has come about.

Sasuke smirks, and stands up; regathering his sword in the process, “think it over,” he says, “I think you'll find this proposal one that will suit both of us”.

Sakura frowns, and rolls her eyes.


End file.
